National Study Recognizes Mills-Peninsula Health Services for Exceptional Quality
HealthGrades ranks Mills-Peninsula Health Services
among top five percent nationally two years in a row (2008-2009)
Burlingame, CA (January 27, 2009) – Mills-Peninsula Health Services is one of only 270 hospitals to receive the 2009 HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award™. This distinction is based on an independent study released today by HealthGrades, the healthcare ratings company.
The study of quality at the nation’s nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals places Mills-Peninsula in the top five percent for overall clinical quality. According to the HealthGrades study, Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence had mortality rates that were, on average, 27 percent lower than other hospitals, and major complication rates that were eight percent lower.
For seven years now, HealthGrades has conducted the most comprehensive studies of hospital quality in America, producing ratings for every non-federal hospital. Hospitals that receive the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence are those hospitals that excel across the 26 procedures and diagnoses rated.
“Our patients expect only the highest quality care at Mills-Peninsula,” said Bob Merwin, Mills-Peninsula CEO. “Ranking in the top five percent in the country is a great honor, and I’d like to thank all of our clinicians and staff for helping make our organization one of the best.”
The study also shows that Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ are improving at a greater rate in more procedures and diagnoses than all other hospitals, lowering risk-adjusted mortality rates over the years 2005, 2006, 2007 by an average of 18 percent.
For its study, HealthGrades analyzed almost 41 million Medicare hospitalization records that cover the latest three-year period, from 2005 to 2007. Because the hospitalization records come from the federal government, no hospital can opt in or out of HealthGrades' rating process. The analysis is risk-adjusted to account for differences in patient populations between hospitals.
HealthGrades found that Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ outperformed all other hospitals across the procedures and diagnoses studied. HealthGrades estimates that 152,666 lives could have been saved and 11,772 complications could have been avoided over the three years studied if all Medicare patients were treated at Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence.
Additional 2009 HealthGrades clinical achievements include:
About Mills-Peninsula Health Services
Mills-Peninsula, a member of the not-for-profit Sutter Health organization, has provided excellent quality medical care to the San Mateo County community for more than 100 years. The organization operates two community health facilities with a total of 403 inpatient beds. Peninsula Medical Center, in Burlingame, CA, is an acute-care facility offering inpatient services such as orthopedics, cardiovascular surgery, a family birth center and emergency services. Mills Health Center, in San Mateo, CA, offers outpatient services including surgery, a cancer center, women's health services and diagnostics.
Mills-Peninsula also received the following HealthGrades awards:
Editor’s note: A full copy of the study is available at http://www.healthgrades.com or by contacting Scott Shapiro by Email.